Main navigation

All Grown Up

When I turned 16, I was finally allowed to date. For a constantly boy crazy girl, I felt like sixteen would never come and when it did, I took full advantage of it! I dated some pretty nice guys, but one guy, who ended up becoming my boyfriend for a few years, taught me more about the dating lingo than anyone else. I first met Travis at the grocery store, of all places. Remember back in the day when the sackers at the store would carry out your groceries for you? Well, my mom and I went grocery shopping, Travis carried out our groceries, and as I watched him load the groceries into the trunk, I fell in love.

Living in the proximity of two small towns away from each other, it didn’t take long for the two of us to find out about each other. Travis first called me up to ask me out a short while after we met. We chatted for a long while on the phone the first time he called and he ended the call with “I was wondering if you would like to go get a Coke sometime.” Random, but of course I would! Next call to ask me out… “Would you like to go get a Coke?” Even if our date was dinner out, a movie, going over to his parents house to hang out, he would always ask me if I wanted to go get a Coke. Eventually, after we had been dating for awhile, I called him on it. “Why do you always ask me if I want to go get a Coke? Even if we aren’t going some place for a Coke, you ask me if I want to get a Coke?” He explained that it is just what guys say if they want to hang out with you. Ummmm, okay. Travis and I continued to get Cokes for 4 years after that.

Fast forward to life as I know it now. I’m an almost 35 year old mom of 3, living in the burbs, and surrounded by other women living very similar lives. A few years ago, I noticed a shift in things that took me back to my “Wanna get a Coke?” years. I would get calls on a regular basis from other moms asking me if I wanted to go get a coffee. I didn’t really like coffee back then, but the thought of hanging out with other adults during the witching hours with the kids really appealed to me. We would go out, kids in hand, and get “coffee”. Eventually, I realized that getting coffee was similar to getting a coke. It was just a way of one person asking another person if they wanted to get out of the house and get to know each other. Getting coffee, in the life of a suburban mom, is something I now look forward to on a regular basis. A chance to hang out with other women to share frustrations, joys, woes, ideas, etc. More sophisticated than “wanna get a coke”, going for coffee is the same thing, only all grown up.

Speaking of “all grown up”, were you an Oreo cookie fan? I still find myself craving those things dunked in a big glass of cold milk. I now tend to be a closet dunker as it doesn’t seem very acceptable for someone of my age to have a Oreo cookie mustache. If you want to enjoy a kiddo treat but in a grown up acceptable format, give this Cookies ‘n Cream Cake a try. Like your Oreos and milk, only all grown up.

Okay that’s so funny you should say that about going for “coffee”. I say that all the time and yet I don’t even drink coffee! I even invite friends over for “coffee” when I know they don’t even drink the stuff. So weird isn’t it…lol.

Wow, that looks great! I love Oreos too. While I’m not ashamed to be found dipping Oreos in milk, I also love them in a variety of baked desserts.

I constantly find myself comparing adult friendships to dating as well. I feel like I use the same break-the-ice techniques when trying to make friends that I used when trying to get the attention of a guy. Weird, huh? 🙂

When I was much, much younger, Sunshine cookies made a chocolate cookie similar to Oreos. They were called Hydrox. I loved them because of the smell. I don’t know what they smelled like, but it was delicious. When I worked at Woolworth’s at the candy counter, we had bulk cookies and among the varieties were Sunshine Hydrox. To me, they were much better than Oreos. Mom

Nice post! I have been thinking Oreos lately too. They are great fun to bake with and have such a distinctive look. All grown up, I like them better in things than plain but they bring back many a fond memory. Thanks for the happy thoughts!

Don’t Miss These!

My Book Recommendations

Footer

FOOD

My love of how food connects people together runs deep. Explore a decade worth of Dine & Dish recipes, from sweets to savory as well as classic family favorites. Food lovers will want to check this out. Bon Appétit!

TRAVEL

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." I've always had a serious case of wanderlust, and traveling and exploring new places continues to be one of my favorite things. Come explore my favorite places with me!

LIFE

More than just a food blog, Dine & Dish has always been a place where I've shared what's happening in our life. These life posts tend to be my absolute favorite blog posts. Come get a taste of life as it happens in our house!

HAPPINESS

I believe that in order to live a happy life, you have to
make happiness happen through implementing simple things that make you happy into every day. Here are a few of the things that bring me happiness - I hope they do you too.